Quebec is a vibrant multicultural province, often earning it recognition as the “Europe of North America”. Quebec is also famous for its vast forests, rolling hills and countless waterways. In fact, Quebec has over 1,000,000 lakes and waterways, giving it more fresh water than any other province.

The capital city is Quebec City (670 000). Quebec is also home to Canada’s second largest city, and the second largest French speaking city in the world, Montreal (3.6 million people). Other major cities are all located in proximity to the St. Lawrence river (which links Quebec and Montreal to the Atlantic Ocean) and include Trois-Rivieres, (48,419) Sherbrooke, (152,100), Chicoutimi-Jonquiere (162 500) and Hull (62,339). Since the end of World War II, more than 650,000 immigrants from over 100 countries have moved to Québec, particularly to the multicultural city of Montreal.

Each year, Québec welcomes an average of some 45,000 immigrants from over 100 countries who actively participate in its economic, social and cultural development.  Québec is a French-speaking society, a democratic society based on the rule of law and made rich by its diversity. The Québec state and its institutions are secular. Québec welcomes immigrants from the four corners of the earth with their know-how, skills, language, culture and religion. Québec provides services to help them integrate and participate fully and completely in Québec society.

• A Free and Democratic Society

The political system of Québec is based on freedom of speech and the right to equality of individuals, as well as the participation of citizens in associations, political parties and administrative bodies such as boards of directors.
Citizens can run as candidates in elections and have the right to vote in elections. They elect their representatives at all levels of government. When the government intends to pass legisla­tion, consultations are organized to permit the expression of different points of view on matters of public interest. Hateful behaviour, whether motivated by political, religious or racist reasons, is not tolerated. Québec society favors the resolution of conflicts by negotiation.

• A society enriched by its diversity

Québec is becoming more diverse. The franco­phone majority, Anglophones and aboriginals live together with people of diverse cultures and origins from all over the world.
Québec encourages exchanges between cultures and closer relations between communities and recognizes what enrichment diversity is. Moreover, everyone can freely choose their lifestyle, opinions and religion, while respecting the rights of others. Relationships between people are established with respect and tolerance in a climate of harmony.

· A society based on the rule of law

Québec is a democratic society based on the rule of law. All persons are equal in value and in dignity and have the right to the equal protection of the law. They must obey all laws regardless of their beliefs.
It is prohibited to discriminate against individuals on the basis of reasons set forth in the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

For example, a person cannot be refused housing due to ethnic origin, social condition or disability. Discrimination is prohibited in the workplace, specifically in job offers, the hiring process and working conditions. The law also prohibits harassment in all its forms. In this same spirit, homosexuals are recognized as having the same rights and responsibilities as all other citizens of Québec.

· Society

Quebecers are known for their friendliness. Cordiality, simplicity and an open mind characterize social relationships in the street, in the workplace or at the bank.
Quebecers place great importance on maintaining an atmosphere that promotes:

· freedom of expression,

· equal rights, and

· respect for differences.

Population characteristics and demographics

· Québec has 7,546,130 inhabitants. It is comparable in size to the countries of northern Europe. (2006 data)

· distribution is as follows: 3,687,695 men and 3,858,435 women. (2006 data)

· Life expectancy is 78.0 years for men and 83.0 years for women. (2004-2006 data)

· The total fertility rate is 1.62 children per woman. (2006 data)

· Between 2001 and 2005, Québec’s demographic growth relied more on migration inflows, whereas natural growth was the primary growth factor in 2006.
Source : Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population, Institut de la statistique du Québec

· Economic portrait

Québec has posted good economic performance in recent years. This vitality is attributable to several factors such as industry sector diversification, the entrepreneurial spirit of its business people, research and development investments, and increased exports.

Size of the Québec economy

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita provides a measure of a society’s economic prosperity. Québec’s GDP per capita compares favourably to that of OECD member countries.

Employment outlook

According to labour market forecasts, more than 640,000 positions must be filled between 2009 and 2013. Of this number, 152,000 will be new jobs resulting from economic growth, while 490,000 positions will become available following retirement departures.

QUEBEC Immigration Plan 2012 introduced

Following is the summary plan for the period 2012-2015:

1. Gradually raise to 50% the proportion of principal applicants in the skilled worker category with training in areas that correspond to labour market needs;

2. Maintain a majority of individuals who know French in overall admissions;

3. Raise the level of knowledge of French among applicants in the skilled worker category;

4.  Maintain annually between 65% and 75% the proportion of individuals under 35 years of age among overall admissions;

5. Gradually re-balance the proportion of immigrants from each of the major geographic areas such that by 2015 the proportion for each area is limited to a maximum of 30%;

6. Maintain annually at a minimum of 65% the proportion of economic immigrants in overall admissions;

7. Seek relative stabilization in the number of admissions during the period 2012-2015 such that, at the end of the period in 2015, the average annual number of admissions stands at 50,000.

Universal Resettlement and Career Solutions have a proven track record in Quebec Immigration and are registered Immigration consultants for Quebec. For further information on Quebec Immigration Programs and services, please contact us at [email protected]

Mr. Ravi Iyer is the President and Chief Consultant of Universal Immigration. Permanent Worker Quebec Immigration is one of the more friendly and rational immigration program in Canada. Universal Immigration is the registered business name of Universal Resettlement and Career Solutions Inc., a federally registered corporation in Canada. At Universal Immigration , We hold customer needs and satisfaction above everything else. We house skilled personnel whose experience is borne out of years of traveling the far reaches of the globe. We have provided a guiding light to many thousands of persons wishing to immigrate to Canada. Mr. Iyer the travels extensively worldwide and carries the wise knowledge and insight to guide clients in the best possible way.